Vengeance
by Abarai Starsha
Summary: He hurt her.  There was no other thought in his mind.  AU / OOC / Mature content - contains violence and rape.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: AAAAAH! Forgive me - another two (or three) shot to get me back into the writing mode after the big move. **

**WARNING: Content may not be suitable for all ages and all readers – contains rape, mutilation and death. You have been warned. This is 100% AU and OOC…**

**I don't own or operate Kubo or Bleach – although if I had a chance…**

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><p>Vengeance<p>

Pt 1

By: Abarai Starsha

Toshiro was beyond furious when he saw his wife's battered and bleeding body. He felt sick and helpless as he watched the doctors and nurses work to close up the many cuts she had on her hands, face and body. Blood was everywhere. How much could she afford to lose? How much has she already lost?

He got the call an hour ago. He had been waiting for her to get home from her weekly grocery shopping. They had plans to go out and catch a movie, something they enjoyed doing since they started dating two short years ago.

A clerk at the grocery store was empting the trash in the men's bathroom when he found her, unconscious and bleeding, on the floor in one of the stalls.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to wait in the waiting room while we use the rape kit."

Toshiro almost threw up and had to swallow several times. His face quickly drained of what color he had. "You think she was…" he whispered.

"Sir, I can't answer that right now. I need you to leave so we can give your wife our full attention." Toshiro gave the gurney one more look. Her raven hair, shaved in some spots to make way for the stitches. Her face was swollen and bruised. He could make out a bruise in the shape of a hand print across her throat. He stared blankly at the nurse before turning and walking out into the waiting area. He slumped down into a chair and closed his eyes. This had to be a nightmare.

"Captain!"

Toshiro opened his eyes. A tall beautiful blond was standing in front of him. She was dressed in a police uniform. A puzzled look was on her face.

"Matsumoto." He replied.

"I got a call about a woman who was beaten and possibly raped at the corner grocery. What brings you here?"

He looked at her, his face blank. "Rukia…"

Matsumoto's eyes grew. "Is she ok?"

"She was the one at the grocery store." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" She put her hand on his shoulder. "Is she alright? What has she said? Does she know who it was?"

"She's been unconscious since she was found. She was beaten and c-cut up pretty bad. They're doing the…the kit now." He said without opening his eyes.

"Ishida is working the scene." She said softly.

"Good," he replied. Ishida was the best investigator on the force and the only one Toshiro trusted.

"Sir?" The nurse said as she came out from the exam room. "The doctor would like to talk to you." Toshiro was on his feet immediately as he followed the nurse back into the room. Matsumoto followed two paces behind.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Kurosaki Isshin." Toshiro looked up to see a man in his early forty's standing in front of his wife's bed with his hand outstretched.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro," he said as he took the man's hand.

"I understand you're a police captain and the victim is your own wife?"

"Yes," he said flatly.

"I'm so very sorry."

"How is she? Was she…was she…?" He couldn't bring himself to say it. In his line of work he had seen all kinds of unimaginable things people do to each other and never had a problem dealing with any situation. It's easier to deal with the horrors of humanity when it happens to some random stranger, not someone you love. Toshiro looked at his wife's now bandaged head. Her eyes were still closed.

Dr. Kurosaki closed his eyes and took a breath. This was never easy. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but yes, she was raped."

Toshiro closed his eyes and tried to hold back his anger. Matsumoto put her hand on his shoulder to help ground him. She worked closely with her captain for many years and knew he would not be able to handle this news well.

"We need your consent before we can give her the morning after pill. Whoever raped her did not use a condom. I'm sorry."

Toshiro had to fight to keep the nausea at bay. His headache intensified as he felt like he was going to pass out.

"Give it to her," he whispered.

"We were able to obtain several samples. She must have put up quite the fight as we found skin under her nails and she was holding onto a swatch of clothing that was not her own."

Toshiro nodded as he opened his eyes and looked at his wife. In spite of her size she was always the little spitfire, insisting she could handle and take care of herself. Toshiro gave her a small smile. She probably did give that bastard hell. He turned to Matsumoto.

"I'm on it and will let you know as soon as possible," she said, referring to the samples and the rush to gets results. They both knew it would take days, sometimes weeks depending on the test before they knew anything. It wasn't like on TV where tests were instant and they had the bad guy by the end of the hour episode. Investigations took months, some DNA results took longer, however, Matsumoto took it as an out to get out of the room. She didn't have the words to comfort him and she knew he wouldn't want to hear them anyway.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, I'll go get some of the nurses and we'll move her upstairs to a private room. Based on my examination, she's stable and out of any danger. She should be waking up soon."

Toshiro nodded as he walked to her bedside. The bruises had darkened. He looked at the one across her throat. It was the perfect imprint of a large hand.

She stirred as Toshiro placed his hand over hers. Her eyes fluttered before they slowly opened. They were dark and unfocused. Her breathing grew rapid.

"Shh, you're with me. You're safe," he whispered as he leaned over the bed. Her eyes met his as they slowly became focused.

"Toshiro?" Rukia asked as her breathing slowed.

"I'm right here."

"I had the most horrifying dream…" she said as she tried to sit up. She looked at her bandaged arm as her eyes grew. "I-It wasn't a dream, was it?" she whispered.

"Rukia…" She looked at him, horrified. Her face contorted as her mind replayed what happened. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Toshiro carefully squeezed her hand. She leaned over and buried her bandaged head into his chest. "You're safe now," he said as he held her. He carefully rubbed her back before slipping back into cop mode.

"Can you describe this guy?" He felt her as she stopped breathing. "Rukia?"

Instead of answering, she turned her head before pushing him away.

"Rukia?"

"Yes," she whispered. Toshiro gave her the space she needed. He knew she would tell him when she was ready. It took every ounce of self control he had to wait it out. He wanted, no _needed_ to know who hurt her.

The nurses came in and told the couple they would be moving Rukia to a private room on the floor above.

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><p>Toshiro sat in a chair next to her bed. He held her hand as she continued to stare blankly at the sheets in her lap. It didn't take long for them to move her and get her settled into the private room. After checking the IV tubes and showing them where the call buttons were, they left the couple to be alone.<p>

Toshiro waited for her to start. Patience was not something he was known for and finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "What happened?" he gently asked her.

Rukia looked at him, her violet eyes dark and haunted.

"I went to the store," her voice was low, barely above a whisper. Her gaze fell back to the white sheets covering her lap. Her stare was blank as she relived what happened a few hours ago.

_Rukia contemplated buying fruit. She wanted Toshiro to eat better. She made him most meals and he took a lunch to work every day, but the problem was that he was a cop. He worked long hours which meant that a lot of times he would have to catch his dinner out. He wasn't the best at making healthy food decisions._

_She was picking out some apples when she felt someone bump into her. She looked up and into the face of a tall red haired man with tattoos on his face, neck and arms. Her violet eyes grew big._

"_Renji!"_

"_Rukia!"_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_Yeah, heh, haven't seen you since we broke up a few years back, huh?" he said as he fiddled with the back of his head._

"_How have you been?"_

"_I've been good. Actually, I've wanted to run into you for a while now. I heard you married that midget of a cop."_

_Rukia's eye twitched. Granted her husband was short, but he was a bit taller than her. She didn't like it when people made mention of their size. It was like they expected less of them because of their height._

"_Toshiro, yes." She said turning back to the fruit stand. Renji didn't like being dismissed by her again as he did his best to contain his anger._

"_I, um…I got a girlfriend of my own and since you're here and all, I was wondering if you could help me?"_

"_With what?"_

"_It's going to be our anniversary soon and I was wondering if you could help me pick something out for her?" _

_Rukia looked at him. _

"_Come on…You know I totally suck at this kind of stuff and since you left me, I haven't had the opportunity to improve my skills."_

"_What does she like?" Rukia asked, relenting._

"_Flowers. There's a huge stand in the back of the store. Could you help me pick out an arrangement?"_

_Rukia checked her watch, she was supposed to get through the weekly shopping quick enough so that she could meet up with her husband for dinner and a movie. She looked at her ex. "I supposed I could spare a few minutes," she said._

_Renji smiled as he led her to the back of the store. He knew it would be deserted as he's been scoping the place out for months along with following Rukia. He knew her routine better than she did. He knew she shopped at this store every week at this time. He also knew that it was shift change and that no one would be back here for at least an hour as the clerks went through turnover and their daily dose of gossip. _

_Rukia stopped and cupped a delicate rose between her fingers, gently caressing the flower. That was when Renji came from behind her and yanked the rose out of her hands. The thorns cut through her fingers._

"_Shit! I'm so sorry, Rukia! Come on, let's get you cleaned up." He said as he motioned for her to follow him to the bathrooms._

"_It's ok. It's just a scratch." Blood oozed from between her fingers. Rukia set her purse down on the table and started to rummage through it with her other hand looking for something to staunch the flow of blood. She found a tissue and wrapped her fingers._

"_Rukia, you're just as stubborn as ever," Renji said as he took her bleeding hand in his. "It's going to get infected if you don't clean it out. Come on," he said as he led her to the bathroom._

_Rukia reluctantly followed. _

"I didn't understand what was going on at first. I thought we were going to the sink, but when he opened the door to the last stall…I knew something wasn't right. I tried, I tried to leave, but in an instant he was in front of me. He wouldn't let me go," Rukia's voice rose in pitch as she fought to keep her tears in check. She stopped and took a breath to calm herself. She couldn't look at her husband. If she did, she knew she wouldn't be able to control her emotions.

"_What are you doing, Renji? Let me pass."_

"_Do you know what happened to me after you left?" He asked as his eyes grew dark. Rukia looked at him as her heart started to beat faster._

"_No."_

"_I was devastated when you left. I lost my job, my house, my car, everything. Everything! But you know what? I didn't care. I didn't care about any of those things because I knew…I knew in my heart that I would get you back and it would be good again."_

"_Renji…"_

"_I lived on the streets, but it didn't matter. I ate out of peoples trash cans! But it didn't matter. All that mattered to me was you. I knew you would come to your senses and come back so I held on," he said as he took a step towards her. "When you left, you thought you could leave me forever, didn't you? You moved across the country thinking you could leave me behind?" Rukia's eyes grew. "Nothing mattered to me more than getting you back. _

_I was in heaven when I found you. Although some years had passed, you were as beautiful as ever. You were standing in front of your apartment door looking up at the sky, watching as the stars came out." He took another step. "And then HE showed up." _

_Rukia gave him a puzzled look._

"_That cop," he spat. "You got married behind my back." Rukia took a step backwards as Renji took another forward._

"_Y-you have a girlfriend, now, right?"_

"_I lied. There is only one woman for me, Rukia…and that's you." Renji reached out and grabbed Rukia's arm. She pulled out of his grasp and ran to the back of the bathroom. "I've come all this way just to find you and you're trying to run from me again? This is how you treat me?" Anger in his voice, with two long strides he closed the gap between them and grabbed her shoulders._

"_Renji! Let me go!" Rukia yelled._

"_No! That was my first mistake! One I won't make again!" he said as he slammed her body up against the back wall of the bathroom. Rukia's head hit the hand dryer, splitting the skin open. Renji bent down and crashed his lips against hers._

_Rukia, dazed from hitting her head, bit his tongue as he tried to enter her mouth._

"_You BITCH!" Renji said as he slapped her. "You think that's going to stop me? Do you know how long I have waited for you?" He demanded as he shook her._

_Rukia's eyes started to roll into the back of her head. Renji slapped her again when she didn't answer._

"_Ren...ji," Rukia managed to croak out._

"_I loved you with every fiber of my being and you left. You betrayed me. Do you think you love that little bastard? He's nothing compared to me. NOTHING!" He yelled as he kissed her again. "I won't let him have you. Do you understand, Rukia? You are mine. We were meant to be together forever!" He said as he took one hand and reached into his pocket pulling out a small knife. He slipped it under her skirt. In one motion, he tore the underwear off of her._

"_No!"_

"_You just need to be reminded of who you truly belong to," Renji said as he placed his hand between her legs._

_Rukia brought her knee up and tired to connect with his groin, but Renji was too quick and stepped aside. He pushed her down onto the floor and pressed his hand into her throat. Rukia, suffocating, clawed at his hand._

_Colorful and bright spots of color bloomed before her eyes as her vision narrowed. She saw the glint of a knife and heard Renji's words before she passed out._

"_You will always be mine!"_

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><p>Rukia finished her tale and hugged her knees close to her chest. Toshiro didn't know what to say. He knew very little about Renji in the grand scheme of things. He knew he was Rukia's childhood friend and first lover. He knew he was very controlling and didn't know how to take no for an answer and he knew something bad happened between them that made Rukia run from him. She didn't like to talk about him and Toshiro never pushed her.<p>

He balled his hands into fists as he felt pure anger course through his veins. He heard a faint sound and let out his breath.

"What?"

"I said I'm sorry…" She whispered. Toshiro was stunned.

"What are you sorry for?"

"I couldn't hold him off…I couldn't…do anything. I knew not to trust him, I knew it." She said as she berated herself with guilt and self loathing.

Toshiro put his arms around her and drew her in, laying her head on his chest. He stroked her hair, careful of the bandages.

"It's not your fault. Not any of it."

"No. It is."

"Rukia!" She sniffed as she looked at him. "This is in no way your fault! I will find that bastard and I will make sure that he will never _ever_ hurt you again." He felt her nod and let himself relax a little. It pained him to think she was blaming this on herself. It added fuel to his already white hot anger.

It wasn't long before her breathing was even. He gently laid her back down onto the bed. He didn't miss the way her face contorted in her sleep as he brought up the covers. He leaned over and gently kissed her forehead in a spot that wasn't bruised. He stood up and looked at her one last time before leaving her room. He vowed that she would never hurt again.

"Captain!" Matsumoto called from the end of the hallway. He turned towards the elevators and waited for her to catch up. "I've put a rush on the DNA but it's going to take a few days-"

"I know who it was." He said as he cut her off. Her eyes grew. "Rukia woke up." The elevator doors opened. They walked through and he pushed the button to the ground floor.

"Well?" She asked, impatiently.

"Abarai Renji. Her ex that doesn't like to take no for an answer."

"I'll call in for a warrant." Matsumoto said as she hit the speed dial on her cell. "We should have one in a few hours."

"We don't have that long."

"You're not going to go after him without one are you?"

"I'm not letting him get away."

"Captain!" She put her hand on his shoulder, turning him so that he would look at her. She felt a chill run down her spine as she saw the dark look in his teal eyes. This wasn't good. Not good at all. "Sir, I can get it expedited while we're on our way."

"You do what you have to."

"Do you even know where we're going?"

"He told her he's been following her for a while, means he's close to the house. There's a dive of a motel not too far from our house and the store where she was found. I think that's a pretty damn good place to start." The doors opened. Again, her hand shot out to gain his attention.

"I know how much this hurts, but we've got to follow procedure."

"He hurt her." Toshiro whispered. He turned and made his way towards the parking lot. Matsumoto followed and scrambled into the passenger seat and slammed her seatbelt into the buckle as the car pulled forward. She knew there would be no talking to him. The only thing she could do was ride along and hope when it came time, he wouldn't get himself into trouble.

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><p>They pulled into the parking lot of a small, weathered motel. Toshiro was out of the car before it stopped leaving Matsumoto to fumble with her seat belt. She heard the office door creak as he flung it open. She sighed as her seatbelt released. She stepped out of the car and was surprised to see him come out of the office and take off toward the rooms.<p>

"Well? What did they say?" She said as she caught up to him.

"Room 107," he replied.

"They told you that fast?" she asked as she hurried after him. "Wait! We need the warrant! Captain!" She reached out for him but missed as he pounded on the door.

"Open up!" Toshiro yelled. Matsumoto pulled out her cell. She had hoped to have had the warrant by now.

The door opened. Toshiro looked up to see Renji standing there dressed in a towel. His long red hair was dripping water onto the faded blue carpet. Tribal tattoos marked the man's face, neck, arms and torso. Toshiro immediately noticed four long scratch marks running down the left side of his face. Renji gave him an evil smile.

"I see you've found me." He said as he opened the door wider and stepped back inside.

"Captain!" Matsumoto exclaimed. She silently begged him not to enter and knew it would be a lost cause.

Toshiro pushed open the door and went inside.

"It took you long enough to get here." Renji said as he grabbed a t-shirt off the bed and put it on. "I thought you were supposed to be this great prodigy…Che. The papers make you taller than you are."

Toshiro narrowed his eyes.

"You hurt her," he ground out.

Renji stopped and sat on the unmade bed. He looked at the short white haired police captain and cocked his eyebrow. "And?"

Toshiro lunged at the bed and grabbed Renji by the throat. He threw him back onto the bed as he jumped on top.

"You hurt her and all you have to say for yourself is 'and'?"

"I didn't do anything to her she didn't deserve." Renji sneered. "Don't you get it, shorty? She's mine. She's been mine ever since I can remember and I'm not going to give her up. I'm going to keep coming after her. I don't care where she moves or who she's with. She's mine for me to claim whenever I want."

"She is not! She is _my_ wife! MINE! You will never, _ever_ lay another finger on her again!"

"Oh? You think this is going to stop me? Arrest me, I don't care; it's three squares a day and a warm bed until I get out. And once I'm out, she'll be mine again." Renji laughed. Matsumoto shook her head.

Toshiro brought his fist back.

"Captain! You can't!" Matsumoto said as she stood behind him. She didn't know if she should try to separate the two or just let her captain go. She checked her cell phone for the warrant in vain. What the hell are they doing? She wondered as she heard the distinctive sound of Renji's nose being broken.

"You hurt her!" Toshiro said and felt resistance as he tried to connect with Renji's face again.

"You can't!" Matsumoto begged. She held onto his arm firmly. "Think of Rukia! You're not going to help her by getting kicked off the force!"

Her phone buzzed and with her free hand, she checked her text. It was the warrant. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"Abarai Renji, you are under arrest for the assault and rape of Hitsugaya Rukia…" she began. Back up filtered into the room as Toshiro stood up and slowly made his way outside. The anger still burned inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I actually started this story before Abandoned. When I wrote the part about Renji being on the streets, my brain branched off and started wondering what would happen if it were Rukia. Hence, I stopped this one and worked on that one. Too many rabbit holes to explore! Seriously, I have a ton of ideas and just not enough time to get everything down… **

**I promised OTWTA will be updated soon. I actually have the story opened in Word next to this one. I've started reading it from the beginning since it's been a while since I've touched it. I had to find my notes for Dreamscape as I think I lost myself when I re-read that one…**

**Sooo… Enjoy the rest of this detour for I am putting all thoughts aside and will be focusing on those other two chapter stories. And I have not forgotten that I have been given the honor of adopting a story as well. So – back in the saddle sort to speak – lets ride, shall we?**

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><p>Vengeance<p>

Pt 2

Toshiro sat on his blue leather couch as he waited for the phone call. He knew it was coming; it was a matter of time. He sighed and looked over at the kitchen. Rukia was in there preparing the evening meal.

His eyes went over her, noticing how her wounds were healing, how the bruises were fading. He also noticed how she was a little bit shorter, a little more hunched over. Dark circles were beneath her once vibrant eyes. Her step, once lithe and quick, was slower and more careful.

Toshiro frowned. She had recovered from her physical injuries enough to be released from the hospital over a week ago. Mentally, he wasn't sure if she would ever recover. Nightmares plagued her sleep. She hardly slept as it was and she barely ate.

Rukia turned and looked at him. "Five more minutes, is that ok?" She asked quietly.

"That's perfect, Rukia, thank you," he said with a reassuring smile. Rukia gave a small nod and went back to stirring the pot.

Before she ran from him to make a new life for herself, before she met Toshiro, Rukia was with Renji. Toshiro knew he was her friend, knew they became lovers, knew she left him. What he didn't know was that she left him in fear.

They grew up together as best friends and went to school together, fell in love. Then little by little, Renji became more controlling, more verbal and finally, more physical. They moved in together right after high school. He liked to stay out with friends every night and drink. That wasn't the kind of life Rukia envisioned for herself and spent many nights alone in their tiny apartment.

Every morning he would stumble home, they would argue, he would abuse her either physically or sexually whichever he was able to do. Rukia had enough, gathered what money she could and left him.

_And_ _once I'm out, she'll be mine again. _Renji's laughter bounced around in Toshiro's head as he closed his eyes. Bastard. How dare he? How _dare_ he?

The phone rang. He sighed as he picked up the receiver.

Rukia heard the phone and came out of the kitchen. She watched her husband as his face paled before becoming red with anger. It wasn't good news.

"_I'm sorry, Captain."_ Rukia heard through the phone line as she got closer.

"…" Toshiro hung up and looked at his wife. "Suspended without pay for 60 days," he told her.

"We'll make do," she said as she gave him a small smile.

"There's more." He motioned for her to sit next to him. He took her hands in his as she sat down. "His lawyer was able to work a deal. They're letting him go. There is nothing I can do."

Rukia's eyes widened. "But they have evidence…They have my testimony…"

"I know, I know," he said as he pulled her into an embrace. He felt her small body tremble in his arms and cursed himself for the millionth time. "He has ties to some high profile cases. He has offered information in exchange for his release. The district decided to take the deal."

"No…" she whispered.

"I'm sorry." He kissed the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Dinner was quiet. Rukia was lost in thought and Toshiro wasn't sure what to say. As usual, she didn't eat much and was back in the kitchen to wash the dishes.<p>

The door bell rang. Toshiro watched as Rukia jumped. He narrowed his eyes at the door and opened it.

"I know it's late, but I wanted to stop by and see how things were." A tall woman with long red hair said. Inoue Orihime, their neighbor and friend stood there holding what seemed to look like dessert but smelled like yesterdays garbage. Toshiro opened the door to let her in.

Rukia came out of the kitchen and put on her fake smile. She was rarely up for company but could never say no to the overly nice woman.

They sat on the couch together and made small talk. Rukia was slowly easing into the conversation.

Toshiro watched his wife and came to a decision. "I'm going to talk to Uryuu, I'll be back in a few hours," he said as he opened the door. Rukia stopped and turned to look at him. As their eyes met he resisted the urge to close the door and hold her. He felt like she could see right through him. He thought she would tell him not to go, or at least be careful. Instead she gave him a slow nod before returning her attention back to Inoue. Before he had a chance to change his mind, Toshiro jumped in his car and drove to the local bar.

He wasn't surprised to find his usual drink waiting for him when he got there.

"Figured I would be seeing you after what happened today." Ishida said as he turned towards his former captain and friend.

"…" Toshiro took a seat and grabbed his glass.

"I'm sorry. I worked my tail off on that scene and collected everything I possibly could. It was more than enough to nail him to the wall."

"I know."

"How did Rukia-san take it?"

"I think she's still in shock."

"Are you worried about what he said when you and Rangiku arrested him?"

"I've got guards around the house. The force at least provided her with that." He said as he rolled his eyes.

"hmm."

They both sat in silence for a while as a woman appeared on the small stage in front of the bar. She started singing.

"I need a favor," Toshiro said quietly. Ishida turned to him and studied him.

"Humph," Ishida said as he half smiled and took a drink. "I'm not surprised."

"This is Rukia we're talking about. She's my wife, _my wife_, damn it!" Toshiro said, irritated.

"I know. Just like it was Momo before her."

Toshiro's eyes turned dark as surprise and anger flowed through him. Momo was a name he had not heard in a long time. A name no one who knew Toshiro dared mention in his presence.

"Are you sure?" Ishida said.

"It'll be fine."

"There are risks."

"There's always risks."

"You want me to do the usual?"

"Yes."

Ishida looked at his long time friend. "Ok."

Toshiro finished his drink, tipped the bartender and left. He drove to the station and parked outside. He checked his watch. Five more minutes till shift change. He sat and waited.

* * *

><p>Hinamori Momo.<p>

His childhood friend.

His first crush.

She was raped and killed by a local gang member while coming home from one of her college classes. Toshiro was at the gym, preparing for the entrance test to join the force. He got the call and rushed over to the scene. It was the first time he met Ishida.

Several months went by and Toshiro had joined the force. Everyone knew what Momo meant to him. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they finally caught the man. He was a leader of one of the city's major gangs. He was brought in for questioning, but released on a technicality. The evidence Ishida collected was contaminated. Not usable in court.

Toshiro met up with him at a bar one night. Ishida had expressed his apologies over and over.

"_Enough! That won't bring her back!" Toshiro said._

"_I know that!" Ishida said. "But what else can I do?" He said hopelessly. He was surprised he wasn't kicked off the force for his mistake._

"_I don't know, but I've had enough of your self-pity."_

_He stood, paid and left the bar. He was walking back to his apartment when he noticed several people in the alley nearby._

_The gang leader was there._

_Toshiro ducked behind some trash that was on the corner and hid unseen. Their meeting was over and one by one they left. The leader was left alone with a small burlap sack._

_He heard him laugh as he kicked the sack. His eyes grew as he picked up the sack and saw a woman's head._

"_Come here, my lovely." He said as he pulled her out of the sack. She was a small blond woman who was bound and gagged. The leader laid her back on the ground and fumbled with the belt on his pants. The look of fear was evident on the woman's face._

_Toshiro was overcome with rage. He picked up a glass bottle that was lying next to him and made his move. He came up behind the leader and swung the bottle as hard as he could over the top of his head. He fell over with an "oof"._

_Quickly, Toshiro took one of the pieces of the broken glass and cut the ropes holding the woman. _

"_Oi, oi, oi! If you want one, I can get you one! There's a ton of bitches out there!" Toshiro turned and watched as the man sat up. The woman froze in fear._

"_Some of them are even clean!" he said as he wiped the stream of blood out of his right eye. "Take the last bitch I had. She was a virgin!" he said as he laughed. "Prettiest brown eyes you had ever seen. Smart too, caught her coming home from one of those higher education classes." He said as he laughed some more. "She just wouldn't sit still, so I had to kill her. Like I'm going to do to you!"_

_Blood boiling, Toshiro let the rage take over. He lunged at the man, kicking him in the groin as his palm connected with his nose, pushing in and upwards. The bone broke easily. _

_Punch after punch, Toshiro beat the man down until he couldn't raise his fist again. The man was reduced to a bloody pulp. The woman still sat there._

"_She…she was…she was my best friend…" Toshiro said, panting from exhaustion. The unconscious man said nothing. "You…you piece of shit! You stole my best friend!" Panting and light headed, Toshiro sat down, back against the wall._

_He missed when the man heap moved. He missed the glint of metal. His eyes shot open at the sound of the gun being cocked. Toshiro moved to kick the gun out of his hand but missed. The gun went off, instantly killing the blond woman. _

_Toshiro snatched the gun out of the man's hand and emptied the rounds into his body. _

_There was nothing left other than an audible "click", "click", "click"…_

"_Toshiro…"_

"…_Toshiro!..."_

* * *

><p>"Captain!" Matsumoto said as she tapped the window of his car. Toshiro jumped at the sound, shoving the memories from his past back into their depths.<p>

He unlocked his door and watched as the woman got in.

"I'm sorry this is all happening. How is Rukia taking it?"

"Not well. Our neighbor is with her and the force has people watching the house."

"That's something, at least." She said as she leaned back against the seat and sighed. "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"How are you doing?"

"I'm not here to make small talk."

"I know why you're here. I'm here to talk you out of it."

"That's not going to happen."

"Captain…"

"Do you have what I need or not?"

Rangiku rolled her head so she was looking at him. He had a one track mind and that was dangerous. She had an idea of what he was planning and it wasn't inviting him out for a drink. She sighed again.

"There's no talking you out of it, is there?"

He stared intently at her. She handed him an envelope and left the car without another word.

* * *

><p>The phone rang.<p>

"I'll let you go, Rukia and see myself out, ok?" Inoue said as Rukia moved to answer the phone. She smiled at the red head and nodded.

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Hello?"

"Ruuuukiiiiiiaaaaaa"

Chills went down her spine.

"Who is this?"

"You know who this is, Ruuuukiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaa," the voice whispered.

"R-Ren-ji."

"I love how my name rolls off your tongue, don't you?"

Rukia hung up and stepped away from the phone like it was a snake about to strike.

Instantly, it rang again.

"No! I'm not answering, I'm not! Leave me alone! Leave me alone!" She screamed into the empty house as the phone continued to ring. The answering machine picked up and she heard Toshiro's crisp voice:

"_Leave it and we'll get back to you if we feel like it…"_

_BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

"…Come on now. Why did you hang up on me like that? You know you want to apologize to me for what you did to my face." He laughed. "Ok, ok. I want to see you. I know your husband isn't there. I also know you had two guards watching the house."

Rukia ran to the window and carefully peeked out, she saw nothing.

"I should stress the word, haaad," he said as he laughed again. "Want some company, Rukia-chan?"

Rukia picked up the phone. "You leave me alone, you bastard!"

"My, my! Such strong words. You never used to bad mouth me like that. Is that what married life is teaching you?"

"Stop it, Renji! Leave me alone!"

"No! I will _never_ leave you alone, understand? You belong with me. We promised, remember?"

"I was 10!"

"I don't care! I can't live without you!"

"Leave me alone! That is your last warning!"

"Don't you hang up on – " Renji said with anger in his voice.

Rukia hung up and pulled the phone out of the wall. She ran to bedroom and pulled that one out as well just as it began to ring. Clutching the phone to her chest, she slid to the floor. She bit her tongue. She was not going to cry, she was not going to cry, she was not going to cry, she repeated to herself as the tears flowed from her eyes.

* * *

><p>Toshiro pulled up to the address that was inside of the envelope. He was surprised to find no one standing outside of the apartment. As he turned off the engine his teal eyes wandered over the complex. The force owned the entire two story, eight apartment building. It was gated for added security. A guard was supposed to be at the entrance while another two would be position at each opposite corner of the building. No one was around.<p>

He looked at the building; only one apartment had lights on as Abarai was the only tenant under the forces protection at the moment. Toshiro frowned as he noticed the apartment door was open.

He reached into the glove box and pulled out his gun. It wasn't his issued one as due to the investigation and his ultimate suspension from the force, it was taken from him. This gun, he had bought under the table several years ago when he joined the force. He checked to make sure it was loaded before heading towards the apartment.

The door was open. Toshiro carefully kicked it open the rest of the way.

He smelled it before he saw it. That coppery smell.

Blood.

The walls were sprayed with it; the carpet was squishy wet with it. It covered the furniture, the TV, the couch. No body.

"Abarai!" He yelled into the empty apartment.

No answer.

Toshiro carefully moved from the living room to the small kitchen area. Thankfully, there wasn't as much blood here. He saw a few large bloody handprints on the refrigerator. He brought the gun up and moved slowly through the hallway. He followed the blood trail to the bath and bedroom.

"Abarai!" He called out again outside the bedroom door.

Again, no answer.

Toshiro kicked open the door and almost gagged at the scene before him. The bed was covered with dead and decapitated bodies of his fellow officers. After checking to make sure the bathroom was clear, he pulled out his cell and called Matsumoto.

"Captain! Are you ok?"

"Send backup, and a coroner."

"Is he dead?"

"No. Abarai escaped. He killed the complex detail." He heard the phone drop on the other end.

"Sorry about that," she said after a few minutes. "I'm on it."

He hung up and put his phone back in his pocket. A wave of nausea went through him as he realized Abarai was in fact, not contained.

"Rukia…" he whispered as he ran back out to his car.

* * *

><p>He dug his cell out again as he drove well over the speed limit. He dialed the number he knew so well… It rang and rang. He waited for the answering machine, but it never picked up.<p>

Maybe she left with Inoue.

Maybe she unplugged the phone and went to bed.

Maybe Abarai was already there.

He narrowed his eyes, tossed the phone into the passenger seat and floored the gas. He had to get there. He had to know.

* * *

><p>Rukia opened her eyes when the door bell rang. Her heart pounding, she stood up and put the phone on the bed. She quietly and cautiously made her way to the front room.<p>

""Mrs. Hitsugaya? It's Leo, I'm one of the guards out here."

Rukia let out the breath she was holding. He probably wanted to use the bathroom or something, she thought as she released the last bolt on the door.

She was thrown onto the floor by the force of the door swinging open.

"You're so damn gullible!" Renji said as he broke the door on it hinges. "So trusting. So stupid!" He yelled at her.

She opened her eyes confirming her nightmare. "Renji!"

"Come on, I don't have all night. I need to get out of here and I'm taking you with me," he said as he held his hand out to her.

She looked at him like he lost his mind. He stood there, hair loose and in his face, covered in blood. Rukia backed up.

"Rukia, I really don't have time for this. You want to be pissed at me, be pissed at me, but I'm not leaving you." He said as he made his way into the house.

"No!" Rukia said as she turned over and started to scramble towards the kitchen. She was half way to standing when she felt his foot on her back, bringing her back down to the floor. Rukia grabbed at the floor lamp and managed to knock it over enough to make it land on Renji. Not enough to hurt him, but enough to make him move.

Once out from under his foot, Rukia lunged towards the kitchen. She hooked onto one of the lower cabinet doors and reached for whatever she could find.

Renji followed her leaned down to pick her up when she turned over and swung a pot at his head. It made a dull sound as metal connected with his skull. She dropped the pot as Renji fell.

Getting to her feet, she fumbled to find a knife or anything else she could defend herself with while he was out. She opened the silverware drawer and reached for the knife. Before she could close her fingers around one, she was yanked backwards.

Renji spun her around and slapped her in the face. He reached out and caught her before her head hit the counter. He lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"Goddamn troublesome bitch," he muttered under his breath. He stumbled out of the kitchen and found himself staring into the barrel of a gun.

"Let her go," Toshiro said. His voice low and deadly.

Renji took a step back. "Che, you're not going to fire as long as I have her in my arms, now are you?"

Toshiro said nothing. He lowered his weapon and pulled the trigger. The bullet struck Renji in the lower leg. Crying out, he instantly fell to the ground, dropping Rukia in the process.

"FUCK! What the HELL?" Renji yelled.

Toshiro walked over to Renji and pointed the gun at him again. This time, Renji turned, brought his good leg up and hit Toshiro's hand. The gun went skidding across the floor and out of sight. Renji reached out and grabbed the other man's hand before he could make a move to retrieve the gun.

Renji tried to wrap his hand around Toshiro's throat, but he ended up getting Toshiro's knee in his groin instead.

The two struggled and hit each other as they wrestled on the floor. Renji would get the upper hand and Toshiro would counter, then he would gain the upper hand and Renji would counter. Renji reached out and grabbed the pot Rukia used on him earlier and brought it down on Toshiro's head.

Grinning, he wrapped his hand around his throat.

"I told you before, Rukia is mine and I am taking her. There is nothing you can do about it."

Toshiro's vision was fading as he struggled to get out of Renji's grasp. He was at his limit with the lack of oxygen. His last thoughts turned to Rukia and how he failed in protecting her. He was just about to pass out when the object of his thoughts appeared.

"Let him go or I will kill you, Renji!" Rukia said. Renji turned around and saw Rukia was standing just outside of his reach. She had the gun and it was pointed right at him. Renji smiled.

"You're not going to kill me," he said.

"Get your hands off of him!" She yelled. Renji brought both hands up in a mock surrender. Toshiro took in huge gulps of air as he struggled to sit up.

"Step away from him," Rukia said as she motioned for him to move with the gun.

He ignored the pain in his bleeding leg and shifted his position. "Think of everything we've been through, Rukia. We were best friends in grade school," he said as he smiled. He slowly stood up and took a step towards her.

"Don't move!" Rukia said. There was no way she wanted him coming close to her.

"Rukia…" he said as he took another step.

"Renji, I'm warning you!"

"You love me, you won't shoot me."

"I stopped loving you a long, long time ago, Renji."

Renji made a move towards the kitchen drawer that was still open. He grabbed a knife, turned and tried to stab Toshiro.

Rukia fired the gun.

Renji jerked as the bullet hit his shoulder. He paused before he started to move again.

Rukia fired again, and again. She emptied the clip into the man before her. She was still firing at him long after he died and it wasn't until Toshiro moved that she realized what she had done. Her eyes grew as she dropped the gun.

"Rukia…" Toshiro said as he stood up and went to her. She turned to him, her face showing shock. Toshiro took her into his arms and stroked her hair. "Shhh, it's ok now. He's never going to hurt you again."

"I…I…he…"

"You had no choice," he said as he held her tighter. "I know it's going to be hard for a while, killing someone is – "

"No!" she said as she shook her head violently. She clutched at her husband. She couldn't seem to get close enough to him. "He…he was going to…to…He was going to k-kill you!" she said. "I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't…I couldn't let him hurt y-you!" Rukia held on.

She wasn't concerned with killing Renji. All that mattered was that her husband was safe.

Ishida knocked on the open door. The couple broke apart although they still held onto each other; neither willing to completely let the other go.

Ishida looked at the scene. "Hard to call self defense when he was shot in the back," he said.

"He was going to kill Toshiro!" Rukia blurted out. "I had to!"

Ishida was surprised. "You killed him?"

Toshiro narrowed his eyes at his friend. Ishida looked from him to Rukia and back. He knew what his friend wanted and needed. He nodded.

"I'll take care of it. You take care of each other."

"Thanks, Ishida." Toshiro said. He led his wife outside and to the car.

* * *

><p>Several months later…<p>

Toshiro woke up to a smell of pancakes. He opened his eyes and found Rukia standing next to the bed with a tray of food. Two plates piled high with pancakes and bacon and a pitcher of juice and two glasses were on the tray.

"Celebrating?" He asked as he took the tray from her and set it on the nightstand. She smiled and slipped into the bed next to him. She gave him the morning paper.

_Police Captain and Wife Cleared of all Charges _was the papers headline. Toshiro smiled at his wife.

"It's over," he said. She smiled and nodded.

The district did their best to try to convict Toshiro and Rukia of murder. Abarai was, after all, their ace in their pocket for other high profile cases. Now he was gone. The higher ups wanted blood but thanks to Ishida, they couldn't get anything on them.

The court ruled self defense, much to the district's fury, and cleared both of them of all charges.

"I love you," she whispered as she looked at him. Teal met violet.

Toshiro reached for her… Everything was going to be fine.

~fin~


End file.
